This invention relates to providing a system for improved utility box doors. Typically, utility box doors, such as those for tool boxes on trucks, either swivel outwards, roll-up, or lift-up in a single panel. These types of doors each have innate disadvantages. Swivel doors tend to occupy a large amount of space, depending on the size of the door and direction of the door swing. They are not, generally, weight-balanced, and tend to swing open in a large radius or arc. Roll-up and lift-up doors generally open up by the use of complicated rollers, tracking systems and counterweight measures. These doors are heavy and typically open inward along the top portion of the inside of the utility box, thereby occupying valuable space. Other types of door closures are known, such as horizontally-opening doors, e.g., accordion doors which open or fold inward or outward. Horizontally opening doors generally require more space, lessening the width of the utility box door opening, which may be used for ingress or egress.
A primary object and feature of the present invention is to provide a system for a box door in which the door requires a minimum amount of space in front of the door to be opened and closed. Another object and feature of the present invention is to provide a system for a box door which raises and folds on top of itself by use of a piano-hinge-type connection. By constructing and proportioning the top part of the door about one-half as long as the bottom part, the door is xe2x80x9ccounter-balancedxe2x80x9d for ease of raising and lowering and resting, say, on the top of the box.
It is a further object and feature of the present invention to provide a system for a box door that occupies a minimum amount of space within the cargo box and requires a minimum amount of space adjacent the box door for opening the door.
Yet another object and feature of the present invention is to provide such a system which is efficient, inexpensive, and handy. Other objects and features of this invention will become apparent with reference to the following descriptions.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a closable portal system, for a structure having a substantially horizontal surface adjacent the portal top and extending behind the portal, comprising, in combination: a normally substantially-planar door having a substantially-flat lower segment and a substantially-flat upper segment and being structured and arranged to close the portal; a fold system structured and arranged to fold such door between such two substantially-flat segments along a horizontal first axis substantially in such plane of such door and situate in an upper half of such door; and a rotatable connector, structured and arranged to rotate such door, situate along a horizontal second axis substantially in such plane of such door, situate substantially along a top of such door and located substantially in a plane of the substantially horizontal adjacent surface; wherein such closable portal is structured and arranged to be opened by a lifting of a bottom of such door to about a height of such top of such door; and wherein such door is structured and arranged so that, when such bottom is lifted to the plane of the substantially horizontal adjacent surface, such door is stably supported by the substantially horizontal adjacent surface.
Further, it provides such a system wherein such closable portal is structured and arranged so that, when such door is stably supported by the substantially horizontal adjacent surface, such closable portal may be closed by a lowering of such bottom of such door until such door is in a substantially planar condition. It also provides such a system further comprising a door-lock structured and arranged to assist locking of such door when such portal is closed; and, wherein such substantially-flat lower segment has a first height and such substantially-flat upper segment has a second height; and the magnitude of such first height is no more than about twice the magnitude of such second height.
Even further, it provides such a system wherein the magnitude of such first height is about twice the magnitude of such second height. And, it provides such a system wherein a ratio of such first height to such second height is set so as to achieve a balance between easiness of lowering such door by pulling down such bottom of such door; and a smallest maximum horizontal distance from a plane of such portal to which such door must extend when being closed or opened. It also provides such a system wherein the structure comprises a container and a top of the container comprises the portal top.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a vertically-openable-door system for a utility box, having a box top and an opening for a door, of the type typically used for transporting or storing, comprising, in combination: a first hinge and a second hinge; a first upper, smaller-height, door element, having a bottom and a top, hingedly connected by means of such first hinge to the top of the opening; and a second lower, larger-height, door element, having a bottom and a top, hingedly connected by means of such second hinge to the bottom of such first door element; wherein such first hinge, such second hinge and an arrangement of the hinged connection of such door elements are constructed and arranged so that such top of such upper door is rotatably moveable around such first hinge so that such upper door may be placed in a stable position on the box top and such lower door is rotatably moveable around such second hinge so that such upper door may be placed in a stable position on the box top with such bottom of such upper door extending forwardly of the utility box; wherein comparative heights of such smaller-height door and such larger-height door are structured and arranged so that, when such box door is open such bottom of such lower door remains a stable overhang and such bottom of such lower door may be easily pulled downward for closure by a single arm of a single user.
Additionally, it provides such a system wherein such top of such first upper door element is in about a plane of such box top. And, it provides such a system wherein such first hinge permits at least about 270 degrees of unidirectional rotation. Further, it provides such a system wherein such first hinge is external to the utility box. Also, it provides such a system wherein such second hinge permits at least about 180 degrees of unidirectional rotation. Even further, it provides such a system wherein such second hinge is internal to the utility box. And, it provides such a system wherein such first and second hinges comprise piano hinges. Also, it provides such a system further comprising a utility truck, wherein such utility box is attached to and carried by such utility truck.
Moreover, it provides such a system wherein comparative heights of such smaller-height door element and such larger-height door element are structured and arranged so as to achieve a balance between: easiness of lowering such door elements by pulling down such bottom of such lower door; and a smallest maximum horizontal distance from a plane of such opening to which such door elements must extend when closing or opening such opening.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a vertically-openable-door system for a utility box, having a box top and an opening for a door, of the type typically used for transporting or storing, comprising, in combination: a first hinge and a second hinge; a first upper, smaller-height, door element, having a bottom and a top, hingedly connected by means of such first hinge to the top of the opening; and a second lower, larger-height, door element, having a bottom and a top, hingedly connected by means of such second hinge to the bottom of such first door element; wherein such first hinge, such second hinge and an arrangement of the hinged connection of such door elements are constructed and arranged so that such top of such upper door is rotatably moveable around such first hinge so that such upper door may be placed in a stable position on the box top and such lower door is rotatably moveable around such second hinge so that such upper door may be placed in a stable position on the box top with such bottom of such upper door extending forwardly of the utility box; wherein comparative heights of such smaller-height door and such larger-height door are structured and arranged so that, when such box door is open such bottom of such lower door remains a stable overhang and such bottom of such lower door may be easily pulled downward for closure by a single arm of a single user; wherein such top of such first upper door element is in about a plane of such box top; wherein such first hinge permits at least about 270 degrees of unidirectional rotation; wherein such first hinge is external to the utility box; wherein such second hinge permits at least about 180 degrees of unidirectional rotation; and wherein such second hinge is internal to the utility box.
Further, it provides such a system wherein such first and second hinges comprise piano hinges. And, it provides such a system further comprising a utility truck, wherein such utility box is attached to and carried by such utility truck. Still further it provides such a system wherein comparative heights of such smaller-height door element and such larger-height door element are structured and arranged so as to achieve a balance between: easiness of lowering such door elements by pulling down such bottom of such lower door; and a smallest maximum horizontal distance from a plane of such opening to which such door elements must extend when closing or opening such opening.